Judgment (episode)
Archer is charged by a Klingon tribunal of helping rebels try to escape the Empire. Summary Captain Jonathan Archer is brought before a Klingon court magistrate and charged with conspiracy against the Klingon Empire. In his prison cell, he is visited by Doctor Phlox who, under the excuse of checking the Captain for a contagious illness, quietly informs him that T'Pol and the crew are working on a method of freeing him. After the doctor leaves, Archer meets Kolos, his Klingon advocate who is to defend him during the coming trial. In the trial, Prosecutor Orak calls Duras, the former captain of the battle cruiser [[IKS Bortas (D5 class)|IKS Bortas]]. Duras explains to the court that the ''Enterprise'' was holding Klingon fugitives, and was fired upon when he requested that Archer surrender them. He then declares that Archer is a conspirator and therefore an enemy of the Empire. After the trial, Archer is informed by Kolos that the magistrate will be willing to spare the Captain's life if he revealed the location of the fugitives. Archer refuses and asks that he be allowed to defend himself. When Kolos displays reluctance at the idea, Archer gets angry. Kolos tells Archer that there once was a time when everyone was tried fairly, but there was now no honor in a justice system that favored the warrior class. Later, Kolos convinces the magistrate to allow Archer to recount events from his point of view. Archer explains that they found a small vessel adrift in space and, when the aliens were brought aboard, found that the refugees aboard had been 'annexed' by the Klingon Empire only to be abandoned when they were of no further use. When Duras arrived with the Bortas, Archer refused to hand over the refugees. Duras grew angry and fired upon the Enterprise. In the courtroom, Kolos turns the court's attention to how Archer had assisted the Empire in the past, such as exposing the Suliban and rescuing a Klingon ship caught in a gas giant. The magistrate agrees to spare Archer's life on these grounds, but instead sentences him to life at Rura Penthe. Kolos loudly objects to this sentence, demanding that Archer be treated with honor, and pointing out that being sent to Rura Penthe is a death sentence. Kolos is promptly sentenced to one year at Rura Penthe for speaking out of turn. At Rura Penthe, Archer and Kolos work at the mine, but are surprised when Malcolm Reed arrives to rescue the Captain. Lieutenant Reed explains that T'Pol had found a few Klingon officials to bribe. Archer offers Kolos a chance to come along, but he refuses, explaining that he wanted to restore honor to his people but that he could not do so as a fugitive. Archer bids him well, and leaves the mine with Reed. Memorable Quotes "Captain Archer of the Battle Cruiser ''Enterprise." : - '''Captain Archer', in Duras' recollection with Archer]] "What is it?" ''"Blood wine. It should help make the wait more pleasant." Archer considers the flask, drinks it, then tries to control his negative reaction to the substance. ''"What's it the blood of?" :- Archer and his lawyer, Kolos, await the return of the verdict. "You didn't belive all Klingons were soldiers?" "I guess I did." ''"My father was a teacher. My mother, a biologist at the university. They encouraged me to take up the law. Now all young people want to do is to take up weapons as soon as they can hold them. They're told there is honor in victory—any victory. What honor is there in a victory over a weaker opponent? Had Duras destroyed that ship, he would have been lauded as a hero of the Empire for murdering helpless refugees. We were a great society, not so long ago. When honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed." ''"For thousands of years, my people had similar problems. We fought three world wars that almost destroyed us, whole generations were nearly wiped out." ''"What changed?" ''"A few courageous people began to realize they could make a difference." :-'''Kolos' and Archer Background Information *This episode features several, obviously intentional, parallels to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: the captain of the Enterprise being tried in a Klingon court for crimes against the Empire, the appearance of the courtroom, the judge's talon-like glove and sphere-shaped gavel, a ruthless prosecutor, an honorable defense advocate (played by an actor better known for playing another Klingon), and the Captain being convicted but having his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment on Rura Penthe. * J.G. Hertzler (Kolos) and John Vickery (Orak) previously appeared in DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", "When It Rains..." and "Tacking Into the Wind" together. They played General/Chancellor Martok and Gul Rusot, respectively. * Duras, son of Toral (Daniel Riordan) is an ancestor of the 24th century Klingons Ja'rod, Duras, Lursa, B'Etor and Toral, all of whom were considered traitors to the Empire. Riordan previously played a Bajoran guard in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Progress". * The female Klingon tactical officer states that they've entered the "ring system" meaning the rings around the planet. *Ty'Gokor, from DS9: "Apocalypse Rising", is mentioned. J.G. Hertzler played Martok in that episode, or at least the Martok Changeling that was posing as Martok. James L. Conway even directed that episode and this one. *This episode was chosen by Scott Bakula as his favorite episode of the entire series in the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Captain's Log DVD set. Links and References Guest Stars *J.G. Hertzler as Kolos *John Vickery as Orak *Granville Van Dusen as Magistrate *Daniel Riordan as Duras *Helen Cates as Klingon First Officer *Victor Talmadge as Asahf Co-Stars *D.J. Lockhart as Cell Guard *Danny Kolker as Rura Penthe Guard Uncredited Co-Stars *Mark Correy as Alex *Michael Papajohn as a Klingon Rura Penthe guard References Advocate; bloodwine; ''Bortas'', IKS; ''D5''-class; diamagnetic dust; dilithium; dilithium barge; distress call; isolytic plasma; Judicial Charter of Koloth; Kahless the Unforgettable; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Klingon transport (22nd century); life support; Magistrate; methane; Narendra III; penal colony; phase cannon; ''Raptor''-class; Rha'darus; Rura Penthe; ''Som'raw'', IKS; Tae'khogo Defense Perimeter; targ; Toral; Vulcan High Command; Vulcan Ministry of Security; Zenopaldis athemia |next= }} Category: ENT episodes de:Das Urteil (ENT) es:Judgment nl:Judgment